Three people were killed and another seriously injured when a Tesla Cybertruck crashed in California’s Bay Area in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
The vehicle was still on fire when first responders arrived at the scene in Piedmont, a suburb east of Oakland, Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers told a news conference.
Officers attempted to tackle the blaze, “but the fire was too intense for the extinguishers to be effective,” he said. The Piedmont Fire Department then arrived and put out the fire.
“Tragically this collision resulted in three people losing their lives. One individual was seriously injured and taken to an area hospital,” Bowers added.
Police received an iPhone notification about the crash at 3:08 a.m. and someone called 911 two minutes later, when officers were already on the scene, he said.
“Our women and men who responded to this call did everything they could. And it’s devastating. But the devastation pales into comparison to what these families are dealing with this morning, the day before Thanksgiving,” he added.
None of the victims or the survivor have been identified out of respect for the families, police said. NBC Bay Area reported that all four people inside the vehicle were home from college for the holidays. Flowers have been left at the scene.
A nearby motorist who saw the car on fire was able to reach the vehicle and rescue the injured man, Bowers said.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/deadly-crash-investigation-piedmont/3721685/